USB Push Button

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Features

• Simulates keyboard, gamepad and joystick devices
• For application examples please return to main product page.
• Works for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android
• 280cm cable length

Configuration

1. Windows:
   1. Please wait until your operating has auto-installed the Arduino Leonardo drivers on first button plugin. Click here to see a detailed manual installation description.
   2. Check your device manager wether there is an Arduino Leonardo device with an exclamation mark (=no driver found). If this is the case, please download and install the Arduino IDE manually and afterward proceed with manual installation as described in point 1.
   3. Download and extract CoolTermWin.zip (Windows)
   4. Start CoolTerm.exe, choose "use defaults", then click on 'Options', choose the last COM port in the list and baud rate 115200 and click on 'Connect' and confirm with 'Ok'. Then type "h;" in the terminal window. If there is no reaction, choose another COM port in options and retry.
   Mac:
   1. Open terminal and enter: sudo screen /dev/tty.usbmodemHIDA1 (type "screen /dev/tty." and then TAB key to see the connected tty pushbutton devices).
   2. If the GNU screen does not work for you, download CoolTermMac.zip (Mac)
   3. Start CoolTerm, click on 'Options', choose the COM port and baud rate 115200 and click on 'Connect'.
   Linux:
   1. Open terminal and enter: sudo screen /dev/ttyACM0 (type screen /dev/ttyA" and then TAB key).
   2. If the screen command is not installed, type: "sudo apt-get install screen" for a common debian based linux distribution (like Ubuntu)
   3. If the GNU screen does not work for you, download CoolTermLinux.zip (Linux)
   4. Start CoolTerm, click on 'Options', choose COM port and baud rate 115200 and click on 'Connect'.
   
   
   After clicking Connect, send h; to the button for help. Every command string sent to the button must be transmitted with a semicolon.
   After sending "h;" to the button, the firmware should appear as follows
   (If it does not appear, check your serial connection/ choose another COM port):
   It is recommended to maximize the Terminal-Window to get a better view of the text output.

Keyboard commands

1. In the first example, we will simulate pressing the key 'a' on the keyboard. As you can see in this keyboard codes list, the keyboard code for key 'a' is decimal 97 (or hexadecimal 0x61).
   Note: for all codes please refer to the HID usage table p.53ff.
   If you want to use the codes from the HID usage, table you need to bitwise-OR the code with 0x4000.
   The button uses a command list/table with rows that it will execute one after the other. In the example command list below, only one command (idx 0) has been defined for the state 'PC-is-ON' and no commands have been defined for the state 'PC-is-OFF'. The command (cmd) is what type of device action to perform:
   1=system key, 2=keyboard, 3=type string, 4=consumer key, 5=delay in milliseconds, 6=delay in seconds, 7=change list index, 8=Gamepad Key, 9=Gamepad Axis, 10=Gamepad Rotation Axis, 11=Gamepad direction pad.
   A maximum of three comma separated values follow the command, which define the key to trigger (data1=97 as per keyboard codes above for key 'a').
   Example for the result command list:

         
         Commands to execute when the PC-is-OFF (that is state 0):
         idx 0: 
         idx 1: 
         idx 2: 
         Commands to execute when the PC-is-ON (that is state 1):
         idx 0:  cmd=2  data1=97  data2=0  data3=0
         idx 1: 
         idx 2:             
         

   Now let's program this command list:
   First clean the list number 1 with c1;.
   Then enter the following line below:

   !1,0,2,97,0,0;

   
   !=program, 1=list number 1, 0=list row number 0, 2=execute keyboard command, 97=keyboard keycode, 0,0 = zero padding
   
   NOTE: You can send keyboard codes in either decimal (e.g. 97) or hexadecimal notation (e.g. 0x61 hexadecimal = 97 decimal).
   
   Sending more than one key:
   NOTE: You can send up to 3 keys using one single command - example for sending CTRL+ALT+ESC:

   !1,0,2,0x2000,0x2002,0x4029;

   
   !=program, 1=list number 1, 0=list row number 0, 2=execute keyboard command, 0x2000=left CTRL modifier code, 0x2002=left ALT modifier code, 0x4029=ESC code
   
   NOTE: After a rows in a list are executed, all pressed keys are automatically released.
   If you explicitely want to release a key directly after pressing, you have to bitwise-OR it with 0x8000:
   Open calc in Windows and set the calculator mode to 'programmer'. Then i.e. enter 4029 for ESC, press 'OR' and enter '8000'. The result is 'C029'.
   => The ESC code with immediately key release you can use as data is 0xC029.
   If you add a single 0x8000, all previously pressed keys from a command are released If you add a single 0xffff, all previously pressed key from all commands executed are released. The single 0xffff is implicitely auto-executed at the list end/ does not need to be added there.
2. You can also delete a single row in the list. I.e. to delete any commands at idx=1:

   !1,1,0,0,0,0;

   After sending the line, the firmware will respond with the output of the current command lists.
   
   The command list number 1 is for state 'PC-is-ON', and command list number 0 is for state 'PC-is-OFF'.
   IMPORTANT: If you have programmed your command lists and you want to store it permanently, you have to store it to the internal FLASH memory by typing s; in the terminal.
   

Further keyboard examples:

1. In the second example, we will simulate pressing the ENTER key on the keyboard. As you can see in this keyboard codes list, the key code for ENTER is 0x4028. Enter this line to simulate the key:

   !1,0,2,0x4028,0,0;

2. In the third example, we will simulate ...
   A) pressing the system sleep key on the keyboard when the PC is ON, and
   B) pressing the system wakup key on the keyboard when the PC is OFF.
   As you can see in this keyboard codes list, the system key code for sleep is 0x82 and for wakekup it is 0x83. Use this line to set the sleep command for PC-is-ON:

   !1,0,1,0x82,0,0;

   And use this line to set the wakeup command for PC-is-OFF:

   !0,0,1,0x83,0,0;

   Note that we used a system key (cmd=1) this time and not an ordinay keyboard code (cmd=2).


More examples:


3. Windows/Apple OS Menu key:

   !1,0,2,0x2003,0,0;

4. toggle mute/unmute sound:

   !1,0,4,0xE2,0,0;

5. toggle between desktop/last application (Windows Key+D):

   !1,0,2,0x2003,100,0;

6. ACPI Sleep/Wake (for Windows and Linux):

   !1,0,1,0x82,0,0; !1,1,4,0x32,0,0; !0,0,1,0x83,0,0;

7. Write string "Approved":

   str0=Approved; !1,0,3,0,0,0;

   
   
8. open WindowsMediaPlayer and play a video: Windowskey+r ; 500ms delay ; enter string "wmplayer.exe d:\IMG_3365.MOV" ; ENTER

   !1,0,2,0x2003,0x15,0x8000; !1,1,5,500,0,0; str1=wmplayer.exe d:\IMG_3365.MOV; !1,2,3,1,0,0; !1,3,2,0x4028,0,0;

   
   the following customer button trigger actions shall only restart the video (Key-combination CTRL+p in WindowsMediaPlayer). Therefore we have to change the execution list index once:

   !1,4,7,2;

   => list=1, Idx=4, Command=7 (change current list index), new list=2
   Now list number 2 is the standard execution list and there we add at idx=0 the key press for 'CTRL+p + release all previous command keys':

   !2,0,2,0x2000,112,0x8000;

   => list=2, idx=0, command=2 (Keyboard), 0x2000 for CTRL, 112 for p, 0x8000=release all previous command keys
   The above WindowsMediaplayer programming is typically used for customer video demonstrations on exhibitions.
   

Important: If the buttons operates properly do not forget to store the settings with the store-command "s;"

Key-Repeat on Button-Hold

By default the NC button (pin 19) is completely disabled, as all startListXXXX values are -1.
The NO button (pin18) is enabled for startListTrigger=1. This means there is only list number 1 executed when the button is triggered for the first time. There is no list executed on hold or button release.

You may enter now the serial command: @1,19,2,0,1,1,-1,600,500;
The output is:
...
btn set: listidx=1
>idx:1>pin:19>treshold:500>mode:INPUT_PULLUP(2)>startListTrigger:1>startListRepeat:1>startListRelease:-1>repeatDelay:600>bitflags:TRIG_LOW|RELEASED|LASTLVL_L
...

Now the startListRepeat is set to 1 too (and startListTrigger is still 1)  => On first button trigger as well as on repeat now list number 1 is executed.

If you need a faster repetition the repeatDelay variable (default=600ms) must be lowered (here to 100ms): @1,19,2,0,1,1,-1,100,500;

If you want to revert your changes back to non-repetition mode, please enter the following command: @1,19,2,0,1,-1,-1,600,500;

Do not forget to save your changes with the save command: s;

Keyboard layout

The keyboard layout is 'English' by default. If you want to use another keyboard layout, you have to enter the following command in terminal (and save with 's;'):
l1; for German Windows CP1252 keyboard layout.
l0; for German DOS keyboard layout.
l2; for English keyboard layout

More keyboard layouts can bee added on request.

Firmware/ Factory settings

Please download the recent firmware here. After download unzip the file, attach the button and execute "upload.bat".

Note: Your settings will not be overwritten on firmware update. You can connect the button to a serial terminal as described above and type in "factory;" to reset your button to factory settings.
The factory settings setup your button function to a single "ENTER" key without repitition on hold.